Interpretive Bridge Concepts to Consciousness

This section introduces interpretive bridge concepts that are required for later domains (neuroscience, cognition, AI), while remaining consistent with the Core commitment:

no new ontological primitives are introduced
all concepts are defined as regime-level interpretations of the existing kernel

These concepts are intended to make later chapters readable without repeatedly re-introducing basic coupling language.

Position in the Core

Up to this point, the Core has established:

Being (B) and differentiation Δ
the coupled split (E, H)
the four operative modes: {S, R, D, X̂}
seven self-references, five constraints, and three phases

The following bridge concepts describe how cognitive and experiential regimes can emerge as structured interpretations of kernel operation.

They are not required for minimal closure stability, but they are required for domain-level readability.

Valence and Reference

DEF treats Valence and Reference as a coupled pair.

They are introduced to describe how interaction becomes directed and about something within closure-stable regimes.

Valence (V)

Valence is the minimal notion of signed exchange.

It is defined as a regime-level property of Exchange (X̂):

V is not emotion.
V is the structural fact that exchange can take a polarity (e.g., attract/repel, promote/suppress, accept/reject).

A neutral regime may have exchange without valence.
A cognitive regime requires exchange to carry valence.

Informally:

X̂ becomes valenced when interaction is no longer symmetric with respect to the system’s stability constraints.

Reference (Ref)

Reference is the minimal notion of stable addressability.

It is defined as a regime-level property of Structure and Space (S, R):

Ref is not language.
Ref is the structural fact that a system can stabilize a distinction such that later exchange can be bound to it.

Reference requires persistence and relational coherence, i.e. it presupposes closure-stable (S, R).

Informally:

(S, R) provide persistent “handles” that exchange can attach to.

Coupling: why Valence and Reference must co-emerge

Valence without reference has no stable target.
Reference without valence has no directed relevance.

DEF therefore treats them as a coupled bridge relation:

valence becomes meaningful only when bound to reference,
reference becomes behaviorally relevant only when coupled to valence.

This coupling provides a minimal structural basis for “aboutness” without invoking semantic primitives.

Meaning and Narrative

DEF treats Meaning and Narrative as a higher-order coupled pair.

They describe how a system can stabilize interpretations across phase traversal.

Meaning (M)

Meaning is defined as closure-stable binding between Valence and Reference.

Meaning is not a symbol definition; it is a stable mapping:

reference anchors what is being tracked,
valence provides directed relevance,
meaning is the stable composite that persists through interaction.

Informally:

Meaning is a stable “what matters about what” relation.

Narrative (N)

Narrative is defined as phase-ordered continuity of meaning across transitions.

Narrative is not storytelling; it is an ordering property:

meanings form sequences across Entry → Crisis → Resolution,
the system preserves coherence of meaning across perturbations,
and re-stabilizes under new constraints.

Informally:

Narrative is “meaning under traversal”.

Phase relation (minimal)

A compact regime interpretation:

Entry: reference formation and initial valence binding
Crisis: maximal coupling; meanings compete; tension increases
Resolution: a coherent meaning configuration stabilizes; narrative continuity is restored

This interpretation is structural and does not assume metric time.

Scope and boundaries

This section does not claim:

that valence is uniquely emotional,
that reference implies language,
that meaning requires symbols,
or that narrative requires conscious report.

It provides only minimal bridge concepts needed for later domains.

All future uses of Valence, Reference, Meaning, and Narrative must remain compatible with:

finite closure,
bounded self-reference,
and the core constraints of the kernel.

These bridge concepts allow later chapters to refer to:

directed exchange (valence),
stable addressability (reference),
closure-stable relevance (meaning),
and ordered continuity (narrative), without introducing additional primitives beyond the DEF kernel.